Takes a Tragedy
by writersword
Summary: Reid Garwin hasn’t been to Ipswich since graduation. He isn’t looking back until he gets the call that changes everything: Tyler’s dead. Returning to his hometown after so long is hard but sometimes it takes a tragedy to figure out the life you want.
1. Chapter 1

Takes a Tragedy

Chapter 1

"Rise and shine!" a voice that was way too happy for five thirty in the morning called as the motorized curtains opened them selves.

"Wakey, wakey. You're going to be late if you don't get up now."

Reid Garwin's white blonde head emerged from the mass of pillows and blankets and squinted against the bright light. Even at twenty-five his hair was still as light as ever. Seeing the girl in the middle of his bedroom, he thought that he should have never given her a key.

She was wearing the dress he liked her in most, it was bright red and swished back and forth as she walked. Her long brown hair was down for a change, he smirked that signature Reid smirk, she looked good.

"Hey Lane." The blonde grumbled as she came over to him, handing him a Starbucks.

"Your welcome." She said and he raised a hand to thank her as he took huge gulps from the to-go cup. She climbed onto the huge bed. "Are you swimming today?"

"Yep, only way to wake up." He untangled himself from the sheets and went to his dresser. Lane followed and planted herself on the edge of the elaborate piece of mahogany furniture.

"Ugh, cold water. I don't know how you do it." She grabbed his coffee from him and took a sip.

"I don't know how you are up, dressed and here by five-thirty. Oh, and go by Starbucks." He grabbed the cup back, shooting her a faux-angry look.

"One of us has to do it and you pay me to. Is that a Speedo?" She asked as he dug through the drawer for his swimsuit. She grabbed the black piece of cloth. "It is!" She began laughing hysterically at Reid's expense.

"No, " He tried to grab it from her. "It's not. It's shorts."

"I don't think so." She held them up and inspected them. "Yep, definitely a Speedo." She decided, still laughing.

"No its not there those shorts that you have to where on the swim team, this is from high school." He finally grabbed the black suit from Lane.

"Yeah right."

"I'll prove it to you." He said and went into the bathroom connected to his room.

"I was only kidding!" she called through the door. She didn't get an answer. "Does it even fit you any more?"

This time he opened the door and his head appeared. "Are you inferring that I'm fat?" he asked, laughing and door closed again.

She laughed too. "No, you're just, you know, not in high school anymore."

The door opened and there he stood, smiling proudly in nothing but the small black suit. Lane started laughing harder at the sight of his too-white legs.

"Okay, okay. Point proven. Go change so you'll finish before your meetings start."

"No way, I'm gonna swim in this." He grabbed a towel and threw it around his neck and grabbed a pair of basketball shorts to put over the tiny suit.

"Reid! You can't do that."

"Why not, I did it all the time in high school and college. In fact I wore it to class in college once." She looked at him like he was crazy. "Long story."

-

When they was at his house it was easy think of them as just friends, to forget that he was a CEO and she was the secretary from three years ago who he'd offered a job as his personal assistant.

At the time they were both fresh out of college with big plans for life. He wanted to be a professional swimmer; she'd wanted to be a lawyer. He started the company on a whim, using the money he inherited when his grandmother died.

He just wanted to get rid of the money; he never thought it would turn into what it did so quickly. Over whelmed by the success, he hired a lot of people at once, Lane had been one of them. She quickly organized everybody and then got to work on the too-young CEO who didn't want this life, or any life at all.

When she'd taken the job she had thought it would be easy and stress-free compared to her classes at her Boston law school. Day one she learned she was wrong on both counts. The office staff was inexperienced and the Boss was a wreak. After fixing everything she thought she'd quit but then it was too late. She'd fallen head-over-heals for Reid Garwin himself. When he asked her to stay as his assistant she couldn't refuse the money or the chance to be around him six days a week.

So she dropped out of school and followed the company to New York when they moved the main office the following year. She followed him through store openings and near-bankruptcy experiences. She drove him home when he was too drunk to stand and even followed along on a date or two. If he called her, she dropped everything and went.

They weren't just boss and employee, they were best friends and he would never know that she'd loved him for so long.

-

Lane was standing on the sidewalk when the car pulled up. Reid climbed out of the backseat. She handed him another Starbucks. "You're late."

Her voice had lost its playful tone from earlier, the way it always did. At work she was all business-like and serious, which he hated, but she was organized and kept him on schedule, which he liked.

"Your not gonna ask me about my swim?" He smirked and closed the door to the car. "Thanks Jeeves." He called to the driver who his name was George. She followed him as he climbed the stairs that led to their building.

"Would it kill you to at least dress like a CEO?" she asked him as she took in his jeans, old t-shirt, Chuck's, and aviator sunglasses. At least he'd worn a blazer.

"Probably. What do we got today?" He asked as they crossed the lobby.

"Board meeting at ten. Tons of voice mail to check and some papers to look over on your desk. You have an appointment with some guys from Maui East at four and we have dinner reservations at seven." She snapped the folder closed again and pushed the up arrow to call the elevator.

"Maui East? The surf shop? What do they want?" The elevator arrived with a chime and the two entered.

Lane pressed the 15. "They want to talk you into a merger that will make them millions and you zilch. Stay strong, just say no."

"Thank you, mother" He joked as the doors opened again revealing the frosted glass door with the company's logo, "Big Blue" printed across the middle.

"What would you rather me say?" She opened the door and held it for the blonde to walk trough.

"You know I love ya babe, don't change a thing." Her heart fluttered with the word love but then he reached over and messed up her hair in a way that had 'just friends' written all over it.

They reached Reid's office and he crossed the floor to his messy desk. "Alright, board meeting, messages, papers, merger, dinner. Anything else?"

"Nope, anything you need?"

"You got any like Tylenol or whatever?" he put his head between his hands, rubbing his temples. He always got headaches when there was board meetings, he dreaded them like a root canal. The other "Big Guys" in the company always treated him like an idiot, like they were better than him because they were forty-something and loosing their hair.

"One second." She left and came back only seconds later carrying a bottle of water in one hand and the pills in the other.

He took them from her. "Wow, you're like a magician, what else you got in that bag of tricks?" He suggestively waged his eyebrows at her in a playful way.

"Very funny Garwin, take your pills and get to work." He did as he was told.

"Hey, hit the play button." He called as she passed his phone, the voice mail blinking red. "You have twelve un-played messages," the recording told him. He groaned and put his head on his desk.

"Want me to take notes?" Lane asked, still hesitating by the desk. He nodded from the same place as before.

The messages were all the usual ones; companies that wanted to take advantage of the young, inexperienced CEO. Only the last two were different, they both came from voices Reid hadn't heard in seven years.

"Hello? Oh voice mail. Uh Reid, this is Tyler. Sims? From Ipswich? Yeah, I've thought about calling you a lot lately. It's been a while and I uh, well you know, miss having you around. If you get this, you should call me back." He gave his number and then hung up.

"Next." The blonde said as he had for each one previous, void of emotion.

"Reid, this is Caleb. Call me back, it's an emergency."

"Call Caleb." The same monotone voice said. Lane dialed the number and handed Reid the phone.

"Hello?" A girls voice answered.

"Uh hey, it's Reid. Is Caleb there?"

"Oh hey Reid, this is Sarah, it's really good to hear from you. Where are you these days?" Reid could hear a lot of commotion in the background and Sarah sounded like she was crying.

"New York, mostly. I have to travel with work some. But can I talk to Caleb?"

"Oh, yeah, sure. Here he is. Bye Reid." She handed the phone off.

"Hey, Reid? You there?" the first thing Reid noticed was how tired he sounded.

"Yeah, look I'm busy, what's the emergency?"

"Uh, well…Reid the thing is, Ty…he killed himself last night, Reid. He's… he's dead."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey everybody, just wanted to thank you for the reviews, they make me happy, and a happy writer is one that writes faster! Anyway, thanks for the love, keep it coming. This chap was hard to write, my apologies for any mistakes. This one gives you more of a look at Reid and what happened to make him leave. Oh, one more thing, Tyler is dead. He is not coming back, ever. I know this is hard because we all love him but the story is kind of based around his death.**

Chapter 2

Five hours and a full tank of gas later Reid was back to the place he'd fought so hard to get away from, Ipswich, Massachusetts. Everybody was at the Danvers Mansion and, according to a call to Caleb about two hours down the road, had been there since they left the hospital early that morning.

He turned off his car, it was the first time he'd driven it in months since he always rode with the car service, and tried to figure out what was going on in his head. Lane was next to him, as she always was, he was glad he wasn't alone. She touched his arm.

"It's going to be ok." Lane was the only one outside of the Covenant that knew about what had happened, why Reid run so far and so hard away from Ipswich, desperate to just be gone and wanting to disappear.

The blonde opened the door and climbed out. Lane came around to his side and wrapped her hand around the inside of his arm. Her fingers spread softly along the inner part of his elbow and for the first time he let her lead him. They knocked and Pogue let them in. The house was silent and Reid was glad since he still had no idea what he was going to say to any of them.

Caleb was standing at the doorway into the living room, arms crossed over his chest. Sarah and all four mothers were occupying the couches. There was another girl with them too. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, her bright red hair was in a messy ponytail. She wore scruffy jeans and a sweatshirt that swallowed her tiny frame and declared her love for Princeton University. You could easily hear last generation's Sons of Ipswich, minus Caleb's father, in the kitchen. The three men were loud and hard to miss, just like their children.

There were pictures of Tyler all around the room. Some he was alone, like school photos, but mostly all of the Sons were together. Only one really picture jumped out at Reid, all four of them were together in their black Spenser graduation gowns. It had been taken the morning before graduation and Reid 's face showed the results of the previous nights events.

Both of his eyes were bruised black and swollen, six stitches under the left eye where the scar still marred his face. He wasn't smiling, it looked like he wanted to kill someone, which at the time he had, he'd wanted all of them to go straight to hell. The three other boys faces were guilt hidden behind a smile, they were half holding Reid up because he'd lost a lot of blood and was still weak but you couldn't see that in the picture, you also couldn't see that only a few hours later Reid would jump in his car and leave Ipswich to never return, until now.

He turned away from the picture, only to come face-to-face with Caleb. A guilty look over came their former leader and Reid felt a twinge of pleasure at this. They should feel guilty; they'd done that to him. And yet he couldn't let him self be angry with them, they'd done what they thought was right, what they thought he deserved, could he blame them for that?

He had blamed them although college but then he started the company and met Lane, nothing from the past mattered after that, he had a new life where people didn't know his friends or his parents or that he was supposed to be following in his father's footstep, studying to be a doctor. No one in Boston or New York knew about the Sons of Ipswich or all the legends about the Power. But best of all, no one knew about what had happened the night before graduation.

Lane wrapped her hand around his arm again. He'd nixed the blazer in New York so now he was wearing just the t-shirt, she could now see it was one of his favorites, The Clash. She remembered that he had found it at a thrift shop the first time they'd gone shopping together. He was more of a bargain hunter than she was, or at least he had been, before he became a millionaire.

"Reid." Caleb said, acknowledging the man he used to think of as a brother. "How've you been?"

"Just peachy." A sadistic smile appeared on his face. "Best day of my life." Sarcasm was thick in his voice. He turned away from Caleb and ran a hand trough his hair, signaling to Lane that he was stressed. The old feelings he'd had towards the Son's were returning, the hatred, the hostility, and worst of all, the fear.

"Hey Reid." A familiar voice called from behind him. He turned to see a still dazzling, very pregnant Kate.

"Well hell-o. Little Katie's havin' a baby. When are you due?" He threw his arms around the darker girl; she was the only person from Ipswich he'd stayed in touch with. But even that was rare, a e-mail here, a phone call there, he hadn't talked to her in almost a year.

"About three weeks. How've ya been?" she smiled and flicked her eyes at Lane in a questioning manor.

"Pretty good. Kate this is my assistant Lane she comes with me everywhere.

"Nice to meet you. It's so good to see you, Reid. I'm really glad you came." Kate's voice became serious. "He'd want you here." she smiled sadly and touched Reid's arm before waddling over to where Pogue was standing with Caleb. "Baby I'm tired. Can we go home for a bit?"

"Yeah, sure." He turned back to Caleb. "See you later, man."

"Okay, remember the police want us to be there tomorrow, 8am" They bumped fists and Pogue crossed to where Reid was standing. He still had the same long hair same way of walking, it looked as if time, or Power had had no effect on Pogue, the only visible change was the gold band on the third finger of his left hand, tying him to his high school sweetheart.

Pogue stood in front of Reid uncomfortably, his hands in his pockets. "I think we're having dinner here tonight but the police want to have a look around Ty's place. A bunch of us are going and," He closed his eyes for a second, choosing his words carefully. "And we want you and Lane to come too, all the Sons are going to be there."

Reid nodded and glanced at Lane, who got out her Palm Pilot and began typing in the information. "Thanks."

Pogue nodded and looked as if he wanted to say more but walked away.

-

That night they all sat in the Danvers's formal dinning room, the only one large enough to hold all of the people milling around the house. A lot of people had heard and came to pay their respects to the Sims family, most of them with casseroles.

Pogue had returned a while ago, sans Kate who was, according to Pogue, napping and grumpy. Reid wasn't sure if he'd ever heard the biker say 'grumpy' before but it sounded really odd coming from his mouth. Of course Pogue was whipped, way whipped. So whipped Kate had gotten him to sell his motorcycle and get something more "family oriented" a.k.a. SUV. More words Reid didn't like from Pogue's mouth.

The girl from before was still there and still in the Princeton sweatshirt. He knew now her name was Molly and she was something to do with Tyler. After the name the people Reid had been eavesdropping on had begun walking away, making it hard for him to hear.

His parents had ignored him the whole afternoon, just as expected. People of importance and wealth couldn't be seen actually _talking_ to their son since he had disobeyed them. They couldn't be proud that he was CEO of one of the nations most popular sporting goods stores. No matter how well he or Big Blue did, it didn't matter, he wasn't a doctor. He did pay two or three doctors a few good thousand for everything that was wrong with him, this, surprisingly, did not help the parent situation.

Lane nudged his side, snapping him out of his trance, and pointed to Caleb's mom. Everyone seemed to be looking at him expectantly, she had spoken to him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you." As soon as he said it there was a scoff from the direction of his parents, another weakness for them to point out.

Evelyn wasn't fazed. After a sip from her glass of wine she smiled at him and repeated the question. "I asked the company, how's business these days?"

"It's doing really well." He cleared his throat . "We actually just opened a store in Gloucester about three months ago."

"Oh, that's nice. What kind of business are you in dear." Pogue's mom asked from across the table.

"It's a store chain called Big Blue. We have them all over the country, they sell swim stuff mostly, suits, goggles, that kind of thing." He cleared his throat again and took a sip of his water.

Once the conversation moved on to the kind of flowers to use at Tyler's funeral Lane slipped Reid too pills. He took them and relaxed, not caring what he took, as long as it worked. He'd stopped trying to keep up with his medicines a while ago when he let Lane in on all his secrets.

-

After dinner they all moved into the living room for coffee, Reid found this ironic since the mansion did have a coffee room, again, the living room was bigger.

Pogue's phone rang just after everyone had gotten their coffee. When he answered it, it was obvious Kate was on the other side. "Hey Babe…yeah it's fine we're done… Sure, ice cream? Do you think any stores are open?" He checked his watch. "It's almost eleven… I know, I know…Okay, I'll ask. Alright bye. I love you too." He closed his phone and rolled his eyes. "Cravings are expensive. " Everyone laughed in that rich-person polite way. "Anyone have any ice cream?"

When no one answered Reid spoke up. "I bet Lane can get her some, she can do anything." Reid'd said it before he could stop himself, he wasn't ready to help them yet, but he was slipping back into the old pattern too easily, as long as he avoided Caleb. He turned to the girl in question. "Right?"

"Well I don't know about anything, but ice cream, I can do." She pulled out her cell phone and conversation continued.

"What flavor?" Lane whispered to Pogue a few moments later, her hand covering the receiver.

"How the hell are you getting ice cream? Nothing's open this late." Pogue was not one for whispering so this outburst caused everyone to stop talking and stare.

"Does it matter? Flavor?" She was growing impatient, why was he making her do this?

"Vanilla." She nodded and turned to Reid. "Which card?"

"I don't know. Aren't you the one in charge of that?" Reid on the other hand, Reid could whisper.

"Fine." She uncovered the phone and started digging in her purse. "It's a MasterCard." She found the card and quietly read off the numbers. "Denied? I don't think you understand, this is for Reid Garwin… Yes that Garwin…Fine we'll use the Visa." This card was accepted without problem and she snapped the phone shut., questions still swirling in her mind. Had she forgotten to send the bill?

"Did it work?" Reid asked, bringing her back to the huge mansion in the tiny town Reid had dragged her to. But then she looked at him, he needed her and that one thought made her heart flutter with a million butterflies.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Ok, chapter 3. In the future updates won't be this fast. I had all of these chapters nearly finished before I published it. Chap 4 is almost done, so give me some reviews and I'll update tomorrow. Also, because of the death of the lovable Tyler, I promise, no one else in this story will die. As for why Tyler is no longer with us, truthfully, it doesn't really matter, but if you must know it will be reviled… soon. **

Chapter 3

Kate opened the door to the apartment in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt that was so stretched around her stomach that it looked like it was about to pop.

"Hey Reid, where's Lane? I thought she was coming with you." She said with a smile.

"She was going to but I told her that you and me had a lot of catching up to do and she was tired so," He realized he was rambling. "You're are stuck with me and this." He pulled out the carton of ice cream and handed it to her. He was worried that her eyes were going to fall out of her head and roll across the floor

Laughing at her shocked face he stepped into the apartment. "Just say thank you and agree to give me some." He bent down a little and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She waddled into the kitchen and started getting out bowls, doing a little happy dance as she went. "I have ice cream." She sang.

Reid laughed and came to stand next to her. He'd forgotten how much he liked Kate; she was always happy and could make him feel better. She was the only one who had taken his side; of course she was the only one who didn't know the truth. He wondered if she knew now.

She handed him a bowl of ice cream and lead the way to the old beat-up couch. They sat down and she balanced her bowl on her stomach. After taking a big bite she looked at him.

"So, " he knew what she was going to say. "Tell me everything." Kate would never admit it but she loved gossip in high school, hearing it especially, and some things never change.

An hour later all of the ice cream was gone and they were both sprawled out on the couch. Kate's head was on his lap and he was rubbing her stomach. It was a blast from the past for both of them. Back at Spenser, before Kate and Pogue started dating, Reid and Kate were friends, really good friends. Ice cream parties were they're specialty. They would take any excuse they could to buy a gallon of ice cream and eat the whole thing in the parking lot, telling jokes between brain freezes.

It was easy to talk to Kate, Reid was remembering that quickly. He told her about the company, how well they were doing and how all the big shots nationwide thought he was some little punk kid with too-full pockets. He told her about Lane, how she'd saved his life, how she did everything, and how he might be in love with her.

"She'd never want me. She's perfect and I'm obviously not. I'm just a nuisance who pays her the big bucks to do what he says."

"Are you sure about that? Cause you don't have the best love radar, kiddo." She joked and rolled her eye, using her old nickname for him. During high school it had taken Reid over a year to notice that she was flirting with him, by the time he finally caught on she wasn't interested anymore, she'd moved on to another Son of Ipswich. It had been the drama of their sophomore year and had been the thing that ruined their friendship.

"True but I think I know when someone is not into me at all and Lane just isn't." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I think I've missed every chance I've been given at love. I'm doomed to die alone."

She laughed. "You're gonna be okay, I know it."

Reid changed the subject. "So what are you naming this thing?" He patted her huge tummy.

"We decided on Zackary. Pogue wanted him to have a normal name, I wanted something original, so we compromised."

"So he'll be the oldest of the next generation?"

"No, second oldest like his daddy. Ty has a son, Toby; he's about three months old. So cute, has Ty's eyes."

"So he was married?"

Kate shook her head, "Divorced, she was found out she was pregnant right after they separated so they went ahead with the divorce and it was finalized like a week before Toby was born."

"Who is she?"

"Her name's Molly, she was at the there today. The redhead?"

"Oh, okay I saw her. What was with the sweatshirt? It looked like she stole it from the homeless."

Kate giggled. "No, seriously, it was Ty's. He gave it to her when they were dating, after she got pregnant."

"I thought you said the kid was the end of the marriage, not the beginning."

"That was Toby, there was another one, a little girl, but Molly lost her. By then they had moved in together and so Ty did this whole romantic thing asked Molly to tie the knot. One year later, she filed for divorce. No one knows why really."

They sat in silence for a few moments, Reid tracing circles on her stomach. She reached up and wrapped a lock of his shaggy hair around her finger.

"What ever happened to you? After graduation?" Her big brown eyes looked at him innocently.

He took a deep breath; he'd known this was coming. "I went to college, like the rest of you."

"The rest of us didn't disappear off of face of the planet as soon as we had a diploma in our hands."

"I'm here now aren't I?" he was growing a little restless, that feeling was back, the one that made him want to run from everything familiar.

"Yeah, only took you seven years and your best friend offing himself, but you're back." Her voice was bitter.

"Look, " His took her dark hand and letting his long, pale fingers run across her smooth skin, the way he used to so many years ago. "I had some stuff I had to figure out."

She released his hair and brought her hand to his face tracing the scar that started on the bridge of his nose and led across his cheekbone. "I wish I believed you. Pogue told me about you guys, I know what happened that night, why you left."

"Then why ask?" He couldn't look at her, he focused on her hand and keeping his breathing steady, ignoring the slight pain in his ribs when he took a deep breath, he'd learned long ago that it was never going to go away.

"Maybe I wanted to hear your side." She looked at him hopefully but he wouldn't meet his eyes, she knew this was hard for him.

"My side's no different." The two sat in silence for a long time, neither one knowing what to say next

It wasn't until they heard the key in the door that the stillness was broken. Kate sat up as fast as her fat tummy would allow. Reid got up too, grabbing his coat from the armchair. A small bottle of prescription pills fell out of the pocket. He grabbed it quickly and stuffed in the pocket of his jeans, remembering Lane tell him to take two if his side hurt, which it did.

Kate saw the bottle but turned away, leaving Reid to his business, and greeted Pogue. "Hey baby." She met him halfway. "Where've you been?"

"We had to go back to the hospital, talk to the police." He kissed his wife and ran a hand through his hair. "But they still want us there tomorrow."

"But eight is so early and Zack demands lots of sleep." She rubbed her stomach uncomfortably.

"You don't have to come, sleep in and I'll bring lunch home." He took off his shoes and put his keys on the table. "Hey man, you been here the whole time?" He greeted Reid, bumping his fist against the blonde's.

"Yeah, Reid was nice enough to keep me company, we've been catching up."

"Well I better go, Lane's gonna wake me up at five-thirty weather I like it or not." He nodded at the married coupled and made his way to the door. Kate didn't think this farewell was sufficient, she through her arms around her old friend and whispered so softly in his ear he could barley hear her.

"I'm glad you're back, kid. It's been too long."

He wasn't sure what to say to that so he stayed quiet, giving her a believable smile. He was happy to see Kate but Ipswich was still the last place he wanted to be, ever.

"Tomorrow morning, 8am." Pogue reminded Reid as he walked him to the door

"Right." He nodded and headed down the stairs. Once in his car he pulled out his phone to call Lane. While it rang he pulled the pills from his pocket and swallowed two, dry.

"Hey, how'd it go?" He smiled at the sound of her voice. He loved how she always knew what she should say. He hadn't said a word about how nervous he'd been but Lane knew, she knew everything.

"It was great, I forgot how much fun she was." He changed lanes and pushed the car faster. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. I watched a movie on TV and got your calendar changed. You wanted to spend the weekend here, right?"

"Yeah, gonna stay for the funeral. It's on Saturday?"

"Sunday. Are you on your way here?"

"Driving now."

"Be careful, it's late. You're not speeding are you?"

He smirked. "Of course not." He pushed down farther on the pedal so that the speedometer danced around ninety.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So my apologies for promising a chap a few days ago, I didn't realize that this chap was only half done, but its here now. A little info, a new character and plenty of coffee. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I keep for getting this. I don't own the Covenant or claim to in any way. I do own my character and the plot.**

Chapter 4

_Reid sank yet another ball into the pocket, clearing the table. He collected his money and turned to high-five his partner in crime. The boy didn't respond to Reid's awaiting hand. Tyler had been acting weird all night and it was ruining Reid's mood. It was the night before graduation for Christ's sake; Ty should at least have some fun. _

"_Come on man, don't leave me hanging." Tyler met Reid's hand without any enthusiasm. "Well that wasn't pathetic." The blonde said sarcastically before turning back to the pool table. Tyler wasn't sure how Reid acted like nothing had changed, like everything could ever be the same after tonight, of course, Reid didn't know that. He didn't know that in a matter of minutes, his brothers were going to try to, as Caleb put it, 'knock some since into him before he got himself addicted.'_

_Tyler kept his eyes locked on the door, as soon as he saw Pogue and Caleb he was supposed to lead Reid outside. He was dreading it more and more as the time went by. He was trying to find someway to warn his friend without disobeying Caleb's orders of keeping quiet. Could he really let his friend walk willingly into a trap?_

_It's for his own good. Tyler reminded himself over and over again as he watched the second hand click around the face of the clock. The moment came all too quickly. Caleb entered the crowded bar with Pogue on his heels. Neither of them looked toward the pool tables where they knew Reid and Tyler were. They crossed from the front door to the back parking lot where Tyler had parked, as Caleb had told him to._

"_Come on Reid, lets get out of here." Tyler was surprised to find his voice steady. Reid looked around a bit, seeing if there was anyone worth staying around for. Not finding anyone he grabbed his jacket and followed his shorter friend out the back door._

_As soon as the back door swung shut he knew something was off. His three friends stood in a semi-circle in front of him. _

"_What the-"_

"_Quiet." Caleb snapped at him. "Even now, you don't know how to shut up."_

"_Caleb, stop." Pogue hissed at his friend. "Don't make this any harder than it has to be."_

"_He was Using, only a few minutes ago. Even after I warned him…" _

"_What's going on?" Caleb turned back to Reid, his eyes black with the Power. "I thought I told you to stay quiet. But you just can't listen. You can't listen to anyone, even when I tell you to stop Using, especially then. The Power will kill you Reid. I was hoping you would get that trough your thick head and stop abusing it before it turns you into an old, crippled man. Your constant Using is becoming dangerous for both your self and the safety of the rest of us. You keep Using like this and you're going to end up addicted."_

"_I'm not addicted." All it took was a look from the older boy to quiet him this time._

"_So," Caleb stepped forward and Reid took a step backwards. "We decided we need to show you want addiction feels like, what ageing feels like. You need to know that amount of pain you are asking for by choosing this life, Reid." _

_Looking at them, with their black eyes standing in a way that trapped him in the alley, he was afraid. They could kill him if they wanted to. He backed up until his back was against the wall._

_Pogue and Tyler looked only slightly more apologetic than their leader, who was looking almost pleased with himself. The anger he felt toward Caleb and the want to wipe that disgustingly happy look off his face over ran the fear in that moment and before he could stop himself, to make logic of it, his eyes had flashed black and he had leaped at the older boy._

_Caleb seemed to almost be expecting the attack. He deflected Reid's flying body as if it were a bug and sent him crashing to the ground. He felt a rib break and knew that Caleb was serious._

"_So this is what it's gonna take?" Caleb asked as he stood above his brother. The blonde tried to pull himself up but Caleb held him down with the Power. He pressed hard on the younger boy's chest, so hard that Reid couldn't breathe, his ribs screamed in pain. He held him like that until Reid started seeing spots and then the pain was suddenly gone._

_Tyler was next to him, helping him to his feet. Reid didn't want help, not from Tyler or anyone else. He pushed the brunette away and pulled himself up the rest of the way. He saw Caleb standing with Pogue who had a hand on the eldest's chest, holding him back. _

"_He deserves it!" Caleb yelled angrily, struggling against Pogue's hold on him. _

"_This is crazy, we shouldn't Use on each other." Pogue said loudly._

"_You were all for it ten minutes ago." Caleb seemed to simmer down a little and Pogue let go of him._

"_That was before. He wants to Use until it kills him, that's his problem. I'm not going to be part of this."_

"_He's our brother, we can't hurt him." Tyler sounded scared out of his mind._

"_He can't keep Using in public, he's going to reveal us all."_

_Reid was suddenly in his face. "I'm right here. You got a problem with me, tell me to my face. Don't treat me like a kid Caleb. You want a fight, I'll give you a fight." His eyes flashed black again and he sent Caleb flying. The older boy quickly overrode the blow and landed almost gracefully._

"_You haven't even Ascended. I have double power. The fights uneven, Reid, give it up."_

"_No!" The blonde threw balls of the Power at the leader. Caleb caught them, forming on ball and threw it at the younger boy, sending him flying again. He crashed threw some empty beer bottles and felt several cuts on his face, arms, and back._

_The fight continued like this for almost ten minutes, by them Reid could barley stand and was done fighting back, not that he'd done any damage anyway. He slumped against the wall of the alley, trying to hold himself up. Caleb's power was still descending upon him, making it harder to breathe that it already was._

_When his legs finally gave out, Tyler was there to catch him but Reis wasn't about to accept help from any of them. He shoved Tyler away, leaving a bloody handprint on the boy's shirt. He wasn't sure if he was still being attacked or not but he didn't care. His main goal was getting away right now. He didn't get far, his legs weren't responding so he was on his hands and knees, crawling desperately, tears mixing with the blood on his face. He had just reached the steps to Nicky's when he collapsed, unable to move and quickly loosing consciousness._

_He felt someone lift him, it might have been Pogue, he couldn't be sure. But he knew it was Pogue's voice that told him to just hang in there for a little longer, that everything was gonna be okay, just stay awake. He was too tired to stay awake, and everything was too cold. When darkness came he welcomed it, happy it was over._

-

Reid woke up in a cold sweat, sitting up straight in the bed. For a minute he was lost, then the day's events came back to him and he relaxed, landing back among the pillows of the hotel bed. Lane woke up in the bed next to his and came over to him.

"Reid, you okay?" She climbed beneath the covers and looked at her boss and best friend. He nodded, eyes still closed. "Another nightmare?" he nodded again. Reid had been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder during college when the flashbacks had started leading to seizures. He'd been on anxiety medicine ever since but the horrifying dreams still haunted him at times.

Lane scooted closer. "Wanna talk about it?" she asked him as she always did when he had these dreams, and he shook his head, no, like always. She had been trying to get him to talk to someone for ages but, just like with his opinion of appropriate office ware, Reid Garwin was stubborn and she couldn't change his mind.

Her mind went to the nights when he would call her in the middle of the night and make her come. It was the main reason he'd given her the key, after a flashback he wouldn't get out of bed. He'd lie there for hours, shaking, needing her to just hold him so that he wasn't alone.

In the early days, before he confessed everything and let her into his web of secrets, she had been there, letting him need her, seeing his weak side without any explanation or reason. Now she knew the truth, knew what had happened to him, about his power that he hadn't Used in seven years, knew everything that was wrong with him both physically and mentally. She knew but she still didn't ask for an explanation, she knew not to question him.

-

Reid and Lane joined the group standing in front of the apartment building at 8:45. There was only one Starbucks in all of Ipswich and the line took forever.

"Finally, what took you so long?" Pogue asked as the duo entered hearing distance. Reid had called him at eight to say they were on the way, that had been before Starbucks.

"Good coffee takes time my friend." He tossed the empty cup on his hand into a garbage can and accepted the second one from Lane.

"What is she? Your personal cup holder."

"Yep, and so much more. But the pay rocks." He took a sip from the cup. "You wanna raise?" He asked the girl.

She smirked, not looking up from her Palm Pilot. "I'm good."

"See, she's happy." He looked around. Everyone was still milling around outside. "You've all been waiting for me?"

"No, the police took a while and Molly's still not here, she called me a second ago though, she's almost here. She's bringing Toby. You know about Toby?"

Reid nodded. "Kate told me." They stood in silence for a minute but then Reid's curious nature got the better of him. "So how'd he do it?" at Pogue's raised eyebrow continued. "Ty."

"Pills. Insane amount of pills. That's the worst part up there." He nodded toward the upper floor where Tyler's apartment was. "The bottles are everywhere."

"You've been?"

"No, but I talked to Mike and he told me."

"Who's Mike?" Reid asked, feeling out of the loop.

"Oh…right" He seemed to remember who he was talking to. "Mike's Molly's kid brother. He's like seventeen or something. He came to live with Molly a few years back, got in some trouble. He was gonna go to juvie but Ty convinced the judge to let them have custody.

"He and Ty were real close, even after the divorce. He pays for him to go to Spenser and all that stuff. Mike's the one that found him, it really shook the kid up. You'll like him, kinda reminds me of you back in the day." Pogue smiled, slapping Reid on the back. He smiled a little. At least Pogue could think about high school without getting a sick feeling in his stomach. "There he is. Yo, hey Mikey, Come'er man."

A kid wearing jeans and a red shirt with a picture of a smiling pig that said 'Piggly Wiggly' on it turned and started toward them. Before Reid could ask Lane what the hell a 'Piggly Wiggly' was, the kid was standing with Pogue. He had this really floppy brown hair and dark circles under his eyes. In his hand was a Venti to-go cup from Starbucks.

"Only the best." Reid said, raising his own cup. Mike nodded and looked at Pogue for an introduction.

"Oh right. Mikey this is Reid Garwin. He…used to live here, went to Spenser." He seemed unable to figure out what to say.

"And I'm Lane, the assistant." She stuck out her hand and shook with Mike, a pleasant, business smile. Reid recognized it as her 'I'm covering for you' smile but Reid had nothing to say. What do you say to a kid that found your old best friend dead in his apartment? 'Hey, so you go around looking for corpses often?' No, there was nothing to say.

An uncomfortable silence settled upon the four until Molly walked up with a chubby baby on her hip. Reid could see the family resemblance between the siblings. Same nose, except Mike's had a bum in like he'd broken it years ago, same tall, skinny figure, and the same eyes, green. Molly's were piercing, almost scary. Where as Mike's were more dull, scared. Pogue took to introductions again. This only lead to a more uncomfortable silence. Kate had been right, even at three months old, Toby already looked like his father. The silence stayed until the police were ready to go up stairs.

As the group followed behind the polyester-clad men, Reid noticed Mike at the back of the group, paler than he had been before. His heart went out to the kid, he couldn't picture walking into someone's house to find them dead, especially someone like Tyler. He was the kind of person you counted on, he was predictable, never changed anything, reliable and stable. Just the kind of person you wanted with you when life was really screwed up, he had this level head and a way to calm Reid down no one else did, not even Lane.

When everything happened Tyler had been there even though Reid kept trying to push him away. Of course when Reid had bolted, not telling anymore where he was going and changed his cell phone number, Ty got the hint, Reid didn't want his help.

-

Reid truly didn't know what he was doing in Ipswich. What had he been thinking, that he could come back and everything would be the same as it was before, that everyone could pretend the last seven years never happened? Did he think the he could forget about the last seven years? Or maybe it was the opposite problem. Maybe he was the one that had changed not them. Sure he was different but really to this extent?

He stepped out of the open door of Tyler's apartment and into the outside hallway. It was worse in there than Pogue had said. He didn't mention that Ty had changed a grand total of none since high school and that his apartment was decorated just like their dorm had been, same pictures on the wall, same complete inability to keep things clean, everything was the same.

Reid gripped the railing until his pale knuckles turned bleach white and then red. His head hurt and his hands shook even with as hard as he held the railing. No tears came, as they never did, but there was the familiar tightening in his chest.

He quickly dug in his pocket for a napkin and put it over his mouth as he coughed into it. After a few seconds of hacking torture he got a chance to catch his breath. He pulled the napkin away and looked at it. As there usually was, there were a few drops of blood soiling the paper. Reid groaned and leaned his head against the railing. Lane was gonna get on her soapbox again.

After the fight behind Nicky's, Reid hadn't gotten really medical treatment for his ribs. After stitching up his face and several other places the emergency room nurse told him he needed to get an x-ray, by then his ribs were already swollen and bruised. His parents, of course were unreachable like they always were and since he was still seventeen, they couldn't legally do anything since it wasn't life threatening.

She gave him some Tylenol and told him to stay in bed a couple of days, to relax so that he would heal faster. He wasn't sure, but he didn't think driving to Boston and boarding a seventeen hour flight to Australia where he slept on the beach for three months fell under the category of relaxing so the ribs never healed quite right. Over time one rubbed more and more against his lung, just enough to irritate it but not puncture it. His doctors wanted him to get a surgery on it but he kept putting it off. He was too busy and had too many people breathing down his neck to take time off.

Lane loved to lecture him about it and make him feel guilty about how long it had been since they found the problem (almost two years) and much he spent on doctors and medicine each year (a good 15 percent of his paycheck).

He stuffed the napkin back in his pocket and backed up til his back touched the wall.

"Why'd you do this, man? Why'd you have to go and do this to yourself? And why the hell did you have to bring me into it? He slid down the wall and sat with his arms draped over his upright knees, hands hanging limply where they pleased.

If he could just make it to Sunday then he'd be okay, it was Thursday so only…three days. He could live through three days with all of them. He just needed to stay away from Caleb and he'd be okay, seeing his former brother still sent chills down is spine. For the millionth time since leaving New York he thanked God that he had Lane, he knew couldn't do this on his own.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! Keep 'em coming!! I'll glad you guys are liking it!****! More sadness, heartache, and love to come! Enjoy the chap!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own The Covenant or claim to, I also don't own Ipswich, which is a real town, located near Gloucester, where all the pregnant girls are, also near the city of Danvers…go figure…**

Chapter 5

Somewhere in the time he was outside, Lane agreed to got to lunch with everyone. As much as Reid would rather eat his own arm than be around any of them for another minute, he couldn't back out. So with the police satisfied Tyler's death was indeed suicide, the group headed to a local place called Sammy's. It hadn't been there in the Spenser days so it was the place was new to Reid, making him believe that maybe the town had changed a little.

Kate, who'd been picked up by Pogue, squeezed Reid's hand and smiled at him before going Sarah in attacking Lane with questions. By the time the food arrived the interrogation was over and they'd moved on to insisting Reid give her a tour of Ipswich. They wouldn't shut up and it was giving him a headache, he agreed to please them and hoped they'd just be quiet. Lane, hopefully, wouldn't want a tour, not that there was much to see. 'This is Nicky's the place I got my ass kicked by the people I thought were my brothers. Spenser Academy, wasted four years of my life there'. Yep, real entertaining.

"So Reid, " Caleb's voice dragged him out of him out of his thoughts. He tried to meet the older Son's gaze, to listen to what he said but that same chill went up his back again so he averted his eyes to the picture on the wall behind Caleb's head.

The picture didn't make any sense; it was clown with a frown painted on his white face against a multi-colored background. He was standing on his head, on a tightrope that hung from nowhere. The pour clown looked out of place and confused, lost among all the bright colors and twisted patters. He stood out, he didn't belong and now that he was there, he was stuck and couldn't go back to where he was supposed to be. Reid had never been able to relate to anyone better in all of his life.

-

"You seriously want me to give you a tour?" The blonde was shocked. Why did Lane even care about Ipswich?

"I know the stories so I want to see the places, match it up. Why are you acting like that? Don't you want me to see your old stomping grounds?" she joked with him trying to lighten the mood.

It didn't work, he gave her that long, hard look that had 'I'm pissed off, don't kid with me' written all over it. She had seen it a million times. When Reid Garwin got a good fit going he expected to be able to yell, swear, and pout without interruption.

Lane didn't let it bother her, he would always apologize in his own way. His deciding to take the day off and send her home was the most popular, but sometimes those days off would turn into working nights when he called her from some bar past drunk.

She would sit up with him all night as he cursed her and everyone else in the world out, she put him in bed when he passed out, and helped him to bathroom when he woke up with a hangover and was gonna hurl.

He never apologized for those times but she didn't mind. Sometimes those were the times she liked best, not the drinking or the cursing or the puking, but when he slept…oh God when he slept, he was the most beautiful person in the world, he seemed perfect in everyway. It was on one of these night that she had realized she loved him, back in the beginning when nights such as those were much more frequent, and on another night, much like the first, that she realized that he would never lover her back. She was too pathetic for her own good.

He wasn't an alcoholic, Lane knew that. Her father had been a drinking man, and in the worst of his days would slap her around a bit. That wasn't Reid, he just liked getting a good buzz and over did it sometimes.

He was a kid that had grown up with a father that worked too much and cheated in his mother. His mother gave him off to nannies, hoping to get him out of her way. Lane knew he had rebelled in his teenage years to get attention, Using too much, partying a lot, doing badly in school.

His insurgent behavior was ignored by his parents and obsessed over by his brothers. The only thing it had earned him was graduating near the bottom of his class and having his friends beat him into a bloody pulp.

-

Somewhere between the end of his fit and now Reid had decided if Lane wanted a tour than she deserved one. They got in his car, one of the few things he hadn't changed about himself. The old, black, beat-up, 1966 Thunderbird was the one thing from his past he couldn't give up.

His parents had meant for it to be a graduation present, right after they'd had it fixed to its original glory, knowing he loved old cars. Instead they gave it to him after he got back from Australia in September, when he came home for the last time to tell them he wasn't going to med school.

By then his father had heard the story from everyone in town, the public rumor, and from Caleb himself, the Covenant side, supposedly the truth. Both sides had made his father angry so he took that anger out on the car. What Reid received as the last present from his parents was a car that was so banged up it looked as if it had a run in with a meteor shower and hardly ran.

His parents had cut off his credit cards so he used the last of the money he had and got the T-bird back into running condition, enough to get him to New York City where a swimming scholarship at NYU had saved his education, and his life.

He piled into the car with Lane and put the top down. Cranking it, he began speeding down the highway. Lane was in a good mood, wearing jeans and a t-shirt he recognized from one of their many thrift shop experiences. Her hair was down and curly for a change. She had on these huge sunglasses that were probably the dorkiest thing known to man but made her look incredibly…beautiful.

She propped her sneaker-clad feet on the dashboard, knowing he wouldn't care. Joe, as Lane had dubbed the car for Reid's obsession with coffee, was one of the most loved, but worst treated cars ever. He was slept in, ate it, and Lane was sure some dates had accompanied Reid back to his car when it was serving as a dorm in college.

"Since when do you have Chuck's?" He pointed to the pair of red Converse sneakers. He had never seen Lane in anything but heels, boots maybe, but always a heel, so tennis shoes, tennis shoes were new.

"Since you started rubbing off on me, slow down." She kicked one of her long legs in his direction. Instead he sped up, cutting off a little old lady in a Lincoln who gave them a both good look at her lace glove-clad middle finger. This caused laughter between the two twenty-somethings until Reid's cell vibrated Lane's in her purse.

"Reid Garwin's phone." Her charming, business voice had returned. "Oh, hey Pogue…" She continued talking with him, agreeing to something.

"What was that?"

"Pogue. He said they're all going to Nicky's tonight about eight or so."

"And you said we'd go?" He sounded angry again. With his sudden mood swings Lane sometimes wondered if he was bipolar.

"Yeah, you were gonna take me there anyway."

"But not with them there." Now he was whining.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Fine Mr. Pouty Pants, I'll call Pogue back and explain that you're too scared of them to go to Nicky's." She opened the phone and pretended to dial.

"No, Lane stop. Don't." He tried to grab it from her. She held it away from him.

"It's ringing." She taunted him as he tried to snatch his phone while driving.

He was finally able to seize the offending piece of technology. "God, Lane. When did you get so immature?" He stuck it in his pocket and changed lanes, maneuvering around a timber truck.

"Same time you got so grumpy. What's going on? You know you can tell me." She took her feet off the dash an tucked them under her.

He shook his head, "Nothing's wrong. I'm tired and I didn't get to swim this morning so I'm tense"

Reid wasn't one to open up so she didn't press him for information, he would tell her when he was ready, or next time he got drunk, which ever came first.

Lane reached over and put her hand on his arm, squeezing softly. "It's gonna be okay."

-

The T-bird grumbled it's way out of Spenser's elaborate gates and back onto the highway. Reid had given her a tour of the grounds without them even leaving the comfort of the car, they had however, left the comfort of the road to cut across a few fields that were, well, in Reid's way.

Lane was laughing again, breaking rules was new for her, just like tennis shoes. It left her with all this energy and nervousness that, when swirling in her mind, made her feel high. Reid had explained it as an adrenaline rush, which she found fascinating. The feeling faded all too quickly and when it was gone, she longed for being able to feel her blood rushing through her veins again.

"Lets do something dangerous." She told Reid and a wicked smile spread across his face.

"You asked for it." He sped up , pushing the car as fast as it would travel on the empty roads near Spenser Academy. Lane screamed, throwing her hands in the air, a scream of happiness escaping her lungs. They continued like that for a few minutes until the red and blue light appeared behind them.

"Crap, Reid, police. Pull over."

"Yeah and have that all over the news? CEO does jail time?" He took a turn to sharply, nearly putting the car on two wheels.

"Oh please, the worst would be a ticket and I could probably talk him out of that."

"Where's the fun in that?" He made another turn and pushed the pedal harder.

"Where are we going, we can't lose 'em." She turned around in her seat, seeing how closely they were being followed, too close.

"We can and we will. Two words my dear, " he took on hand off the wheel and counted the words on his fingers. "Mable and head."

"You mean that cliff you guys used to drive off of?" Fear rushed through her, all of the fun in the chase gone.

"Oh yeah!" He was way too excited about this.

"You can't do that on your own, plus, you haven't Used in years."

"I've Ascended, we'll be fine." The long, flat plain appeared before them and Lane felt her heart in her throat. "You trust me?" he held a hand out to her. Looking into his blue eyes, wild with danger, she couldn't say no. She grabbed on to his pale, bony hand and held on for dear life.

-

Twenty minutes later, they came to a stop in a place known only to Lane as 'this really cool place I want to show you'. Reid had been vague but Lane didn't mind she was still calming down from _flying off a cliff_ to care about where he took her next. He put Joe in park and unbuckled his seat belt.

"You okay?" Reid asked her, she handed said anything since they'd landed behind the cops. Her head nodded but still didn't say anything. She was angry, and he had scared her, that was the last thing he wanted. He had been trying to impress her, show her his power he didn't know he had. He could still feel it in his veins, poised and ready to use. He remembered his Ascension, alone under a bridge, and soon after that the withdrawal that had rocked his body, leaving him weak and sick for days. The pain had scared him in a time when he was afraid of everything, it had scared him into not Using in a way even Caleb hadn't been able to do. Now he dreaded Nicky's even more, could Caleb still feel him Use? Would he be angry? Would he try to hurt him?_ Could_ he still hurt him?

Lane took in her surroundings, they were parked were on a hill that looked over the town from a far, making it seem small and imaginary. You could see all the little shops of downtown and the harbor behind them. The sun was setting, painting the sky a gorgeous mixture of red, pink, and orange and adding a golden glow to the entire scene. It was breathtaking.

"So what is this, the local make-out spot?" She spoke for the first time, her tone was light but her voice shook, revealing her nervousness.

He laughed and the butterflies went at her stomach again. Why did he have to be so perfect? She remembered his black eyes when the car had flown off the cliff, and how afraid she had been, but she trusted him to bring her back to safety, and he had.

He'd always spoken of the Power in a way of respect, and Reid Garwin had respect for no one. He'd told her of the eyes black as night, the aging, the seduction, and the addiction the Power had over him and all of the men in his family.

"No, it's too far out of town, most people go to the Dells for that kind of thing." He ran a hand through his hair and sat back enjoying the view and keeping his mind off of the Power's requests to be Used.

"The Dells?" She wrinkled her nose in confusion.

"It's the beach, kids party out there a lot, especially Spenser kids. Or, at least they used to." Lane nodded and turned back to the scenery.

"So what's this then?" She scooted closer to him as wind whipped around the two, she shivered involuntarily. Reid put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her even closer. Lane loved the warmth but hated the fact he was just being polite.

"Well I guess it's just my place. I would come up her to just clear my head, figure stuff out, you know, that kind of thing." He coughed, lifting his free hand to his mouth. He pulled her closer still and rested his head on hers. He loved her, he knew he did, but he needed her more than he could ever love her and he knew his heart couldn't stand to be broken again, it was already held together with duct tape.

Lane nodded again, tracing his uneven, bumpy ribs that seemed to stick out of his chest. She wondered why he refused to get the operation; it must hurt more than he let on.

"Its so beautiful." She sighed with a smile.

"Yeah, you are." He dropped a kiss on her temple and she blushed. Her skin burned wear his lips had touched and she longed to have them grace her again. Her heart pounded loudly and she wondered if he could hear it.

"Come on," she cleared her throat nervously. "We're gonna be late."

"Right, yeah," He shook his head as if to clear it. "We should go." He pulled away from her and put the car in gear. Lane wasn't sure if it was disappointment she heard in his voice or if she just wished it was there.

**A/N: Alright go review, tell me what ya think. New links on my page, go check them out! **

**3 Writersword **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So here's chapter six, I thought I wasn't showing enough of everyone missing Tyler so some sad stuff in there. Pretty much a filler-type chap. Enjoy it all the same**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the covenant or claim to. I do however own Lane**

Chapter 6

Nicky's was not anywhere as impressive as Lane expected. She's seen Spenser and the houses Reid and the other Sons lived in growing up, but had she really expected a posh restaurant to be the choice hangout for a group of teenage guys?

It was hot and stank of grease, smoke, and sweat. The place was crowded and small, making moving nearly impossible but Reid was managing alright. He held her hand tightly as he always did in crowds, not wanting to lose her, he had never liked being alone.

Their arrival at the table had been sufficiently awkward. Caleb and Sarah were the only ones there since Kate had a doctor's appointment and Pogue, like any good, obedient husband went with her. Reid could feel Caleb's judgmental gaze from across the small table and it made him uncomfortable.

He folded his arms over his chest, trying to hide the multiple tattoos he had accumulated over the years. They were a fascination of his, he had them everywhere. The one he was really hoping would go without being seen was on his upper arm, covered by the sleeve of his t-shirt but visible when he moved his arm. He'd gotten it the summer after high school, when he was still pretty mad about everything.

_Morte dai fratelli_, it read in Italian. Death by brothers. At the time he had been so deep in depression that he thought he was going to die and he want people to know, when they found his body, who had killed him.

And in essence his 'brothers' had done just that, the old Reid Garwin, the one from before that night in the alley, was dead. He died as the blows thrown by his leader fell upon him, as he slipped in and out of consciousness in the back of Tyler's Hummer, hearing Caleb still yelling from the passenger's seat that it was for his own good. The next morning, when he woke up alone in the hospital, he knew that he was going to leave Ipswich and that he was not ever coming back.

Lane coughed next to him, bring in him back to Nicky's and to Sarah who was talking. "…but what I really want is an arch of really bright flowers and stuff, ya know? I think it'd be really pretty against all the green of the garden."

Reid wasn't sure what she was talking about until he noticed her fiddling with the diamond on her left hand, it was alone, no wedding ring, just a ginormous diamond promising that a wedding band would soon adorn her third finger as well.

Caleb's cell vibrated from its place on the table and he answered it quickly. "Hello…yes, this is he…." He stood and headed toward the back door, where he could hear better.

"So when's the wedding?" Lane asked Sarah who was watching her fiancé walk away with an anxious expression.

"Um, well…It was next week, but now I don't know…I mean Ty…" She let her words hang in the air, seeming unable to finish the sentence, not that Reid wanted her too. Sarah looked away, obviously trying to hold back the tears that were collecting in her blue eyes. When they finally spilled over she didn't hold them back and began to sob.

Reid didn't know what to do with tears, he'd always had a problem with girls who cry. That was one reason he kept Lane around, he could say whatever the hell he wanted to her and she wouldn't bat and eye. Lane on the other hand, she could handle anything and knew exactly how to deal with everyone. She quickly changed chairs to sit next to the crying blonde, rubbing her shoulder, but not saying anything.

"I-I'm sorry," Sarah managed between shudders. "I j-just miss him s-so much." She put one perfectly manicured hand over her mouth and continued to mourn the lose of her friend.

A few second passed and Lane snapped her fingers to get her boss's attention. He leaned close to her, clenching his jaw to keep his emotions at bay.

"Go get her a drink." She said into his ear.

"I don't think alcohol is really what she needs right now." He whispered back, not understanding Lane's point.

She gave him that look that meant he was being an idiot. "I meant something soft. Get her a coke." Reid nodded and headed toward the bar.

When he got back Kate and Pogue had arrived. Kate was crying with Sarah and Pogue was standing to the side, looking as awkward as Reid had been feeling for the last few days. Pogue had always been one of those whose emotions always showed on his face, despite his efforts to hide them. Reid had been that way too, then he learned that anger was much easier to deal with, and he enough temper for five people.

Caleb came back in and Lane moved to let him sit next to Sarah. He hugged his future wife to his chest and stroked her hair as she ruined his shirt with her tears. Reid watched the scene unfold, never taking his yes off of Caleb, he couldn't figure out how the older Son could do what he had to him and then treat Sarah like he did.

Reid had always cast Caleb as the villain in his mind and maybe he had been that night so long ago, but maybe that wasn't the only person he was, maybe he had another side. The words echoed in his mind as they did sometimes. _For his own good_.

Had Caleb really been trying to help him, to save him from the Power? Maybe he hadn't meant to hurt him like he did, just scare him out of Using. He remembered the dream and how he had tested Caleb's patience, knowing he was on edge but not caring. He had dared his brother to fight him. He caused Caleb to lose his temper, unleashing the Power that he carried. It was his own fault, he might as well have beat himself up.

The realization hit him like a truck and threw him back to the real world, to Lane and the people that used to be his best friends. He felt the walls closing in on him. There were too many people and the music was too loud and the smoke smell was too strong. He had to get out of there, now. He turned, headed for the door, but then he saw the bar. Maybe all he needed was a few drinks to calm him down.

-

**Oh Reid, there he goes again, getting all out of hand. He is one boy that is very hard to control. I miss Tyler so he may appear in the next chap. Don't get excited, it would be a dream-type thing. Review please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thank you all for your great reviews! This chap is much longer, and I like it much better than the last. It has a lot going on but I like it. Caleb's "Judgmental looks" were more how Reid felt and less reality, he really isn't the villain as shown through this and some following chaps but up until now Reid has thought of him that way so that is how it seems. Tyler Sims makes an appearance, as promised. Enjoy the chapter! **

**Writer's group!! Fanfiction writers wanted! Check out my bio or ****annatari.the.writer's**** for details.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it, at all. Lane is mine and so is Molly.**

Chapter 7

Nearly two hours and a substantial amount of Scotch later, Reid found himself considerably smashed and intertwined on the dance floor with Molly. She was so much hotter than she had been when she arrived, which was right around the same time Reid bought his first drink.

Her red hair was down and curly. The kind of hair you could stick your and in and not be sure if you would ever get it out again, but something about that thought Reid really liked, or maybe it was the way she was dancing. He put his hands on her little waist and pulled her closer, if not so completely wasted he might have been surprised she'd had a baby only three months ago.

She put her hands on his chest but somehow they ended up in his hair and then she was kissing him and he was kissing back and he wasn't really sure what was going on or what he was doing. But he hadn't been kissed in a long time, way too long and it'd been even longer since someone wanted him like Molly did right now. He realized that the feeling of one person's lips against your own could be magical, but Molly wasn't magic. No, she was more grief and guilt, trying to quench the feelings through pushing her face against his.

_She misses him_. The thought mixed in Reid's mind with all the other almost-coherent thoughts.

_She still loves him._ He pulled her even closer and turned his head to kiss her better. She was right, kissing made him feel better. Okay maybe not better, but definitely numb. They stumbled off the dance floor, colliding with some chairs and finally landing on a table. Reid had done this millions of times during his time at Spenser, of course he had been a kid then, now he had no excuse other than the fact that he was drunk and had a hole where his heart should be and it had been there for way too long and he just wanted to stop his own suffering.

They broke apart, both in need of air. This is stupid and immature but totally what both of them needed. Reid even dared putting his hand into her thick mane, finding it surprisingly soft, like her skin, like her lips.

She pulled at his shirt and their lips met again. For a long moment everything faded into the background except for this girl, this girl he didn't like and surely didn't love, this girl that wasn't his. One lone thought broke through the rest and rose to the top. _I'm kissing Tyler's girl. But this time I didn't steal her. _

Reid smiled against Molly's lips, remembering the girl in tenth grade that had been dating his best friend but he had somehow ended up making out with. Tyler had laughed at Reid explanation of 'keeping her lips warm' and the blonde was forgiven and the girl dumped.

_But I love Lane. _When the thought of the person who had taken his heart, leaving the hole joined the mix he pulled away. With thoughts of Lane swirling in his mind and all the Scotch he'd drank swirling in his stomach, there was only one thought on his mind, finding her and telling her the truth. He was tired of pain, he was tired of just getting numb. He wanted to feel whole again, he wanted her, he needed her.

He didn't get very far though, a few steps into his journey he realized that the contents of his stomach had decided to not stay there and bolted for the door.

He made it just in time, leaping down the back stairs at the same time the burning mix of stomach acid and liquor reached his throat. He felt like he was on his knees, retching on the old asphalt, for hours, but finally the convolutions stopped and no more bile came up his throat.

_But Lane will never love me back. _Upon realizing this he also came to the conclusion that he would have to settle for just numb forever.

Weak and out of breath, he crawled away from the mess and pulled himself up onto the steps and sat with his elbows on his knees, aching head in his hands. He felt more sober, he was thinking clearly again, but he was still drunk.

The door behind him swung open with a creak and some one joined him on the step. Expecting Lane, Reid braced him self for a lecture instead all that came was a deep sigh that was much too low in tone to be Lane. The blonde raised his head a bit and turned to see the one person he'd been trying to avoid since arriving in Ipswich, Caleb Danvers.

He jumped up a little too quickly and almost lost his balance. Trying to regain some composure, Reid stumbled a few steps back and tried to from a sentence from his racing thoughts.

"Caleb, I…what…we…I…I didn't do anything wrong."

This left Caleb confused and questioning Reid sanity. The blonde back up again and a look crossed his face that Caleb recognized from seven years ago, a memory that would always be too fresh in his mind.

The look held the one emotion Reid had never been able to cover with anger, fear. The eldest Son knew he would forever be haunted by that look and by what he had done to his own Brother.

Caleb stood and took a step toward Reid, trying to calm him down. "Reid, I'm not—"

"Stay away from me!" Reid's voice shook as he interrupted the dark-haired man. It was then that Caleb remembered hat Reid was in fact, drunk and not thinking right, not to mention the part Caleb didn't know about, the PTSD and its ability to nearly paralyze Reid with fear.

Caleb took another step, determined to get Reid under control.

"Don't touch her or I'll kill you." The younger man sounded even more afraid and even more insane, but Caleb smiled knowing who he was talking about. Sarah had been right, Reid was completely crazy for Lane. Caleb looked at him again and knew this wasn't going to go as planned, but nothing ever did with Reid. He decided to go for anther tactic.

"Reid, I'm sorry." Caleb met his fellow Son's wondering gaze with sincerity.

"You're what?" It was the last thing he'd expected from the leader who wasn't big on admitting he'd screwed up.

"I'm sorry, I never wanted things to turn out like they did. I was angry… What I'm trying to say is that it shouldn't have gone down like it did, we shouldn't have done that, I'm sorry." He waited for a response but none came.

Reid stayed silent, not ignoring Caleb out of spite but more out of having nothing to say. Caleb sighed and took the last steps to close the gap between them. Reid stiffened some but stayed where he was, trying not to look as scared as he was.

"Tyler would want you to have this." Caleb pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket and held it out to Reid. The blonde took it with shaking hands and traced his name that was written on the front in neat, block letters. Reid knew instantly it was Tyler's writing, he's copied homework written that same way many times in the old days. He nodded at Caleb to thank him.

"Reid, are you out here?" Lane's voice carried through the alley.

"Yeah, you ready to go?" He stepped around Caleb and met Lane on the stairs.

"Yep, keys." She held out her hand for the item.

"Why? I've sobered up, I'm fine." His voice carried a hint of a whine and Lane raised an eyebrow at him.

"Come on." She snapped twice and motioned for him to give her the keys. "Hand 'em over." Reid reluctantly gabbed the keys to the T-bird out of his pocket and roughly shoved them at Lane.

-

It ended up being a good thing that Lane drove since Reid fell asleep a few minutes into the ride. Lane tried to keep her eyes on the road, she really did, but watching him sleep was so tempting. She'd always been able to handle a lot going on, but wanting to watch him, plus driving at night in the rain, plus wondering if she was borderline obsessive of her boss/crush was a little too much on her plate at once.

Her eyes kept creeping over with out permission, which meant taking her eyes off the road, which is against rule number one in Drivers Ed. She was still trying to multitask when he started mumbling, which soon led to the tossing and turning that she knew meant he was having another nightmare.

-

"_Reid?" It was a voice the seventeen-year-old blonde had never heard before. He opened his eyes only to come face-to-bulb with what must have been the world's brightest light. He closed his eyes again._

"_Reid, can you hear me?" He didn't know who this chick was, but she was seriously going to need to shut up, he had the worst headache of his life. There was an annoying beeping somewhere to his right that was just high-pitched enough to make him want to pull his hair out._

_He nodded. "Can you open your eyes for me?" as much as Reid wanted to do absolutely nothing 'for her' or anyone else at the moment, something told him she wasn't taking no for an answer._

"_Too bright." He found it surprisingly hard to talk, and now he realized he wasn't even breathing on his own, but with the help of the tube in his nose. He coughed and tried to move, and instantly regretting it. Everything hurt and he had no idea why, there had to be something sitting on his chest, like an elephant. _

_It only took a moment for the memory of what had happened to come back to his aching head and when it did, his eyes snapped open. The girl had turned off the devil light and he could now see that it was in fact as bad as he expected. She was a nurse, he was in a hospital, and worst of all, he had lived._

"_Reid," The nurse really liked his name. "Your brothers are in the waiting room, they wanna see you." She smiled, every time she opened her mouth Reid got a huge whiff of her toothpaste. So sugary-sweet that it made him feel sick to his stomach. He shook his head , having learned his lesson about talking the first time. _

"_You don't want them to come in?" He shook his head again, quicker, faster this time. Seeing them was the absolute last thing he wanted right then. The nurse frowned and asked if he was sure. He nodded again, feeling more tired than he thought possible. She left and he thought about sleeping, maybe he would wake up back at the dorms and none of this would have happened._

_Then the door opened and one of the aforementioned last people he wanted to see came in. Reid sat up, wincing slightly when he realized the pain from before was broken ribs. He seriously hurt everywhere, how had Caleb done so much damage? Had he even left a scratch on him in return?_

"_What do you want, Ty?" Talking still hurt, but he wasn't about to look weak, especially now, in front of Baby Boy._

"_I-I wanted to see if…if you were okay? The nurse said you were awake and I just…I just wanted to see? " Whenever Tyler got nervous, everything came out as a question._

"_Well now you've seen so you can leave" The reply came out as an angry growl, part because he wanted to rip his best friend's head off and part because he was gritting his teeth in pain._

_Tyler closed his eyes the way he did when he was trying to stay calm. "Reid, just don't be like this, okay?" The brunette had always been the peacemaker, always wanting things to be fine, for no one to be angry. He looked at his feet, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "I came in here to tell you that I'm sorry? We all are. It wasn't supposed to go like this."_

"_So how was it 'supposed' to go? What was the plan, Ty?" His voice was bitter and dripping with dry sarcasm. "For me to die before we got to the hospital or were you hoping I'd lose my memory, no, I think I've got it. You were all going to claim that Chase had returned and brainwashed you. Am I right? Why don't you tell me Tyler 'cause I'm just__** dying**__ to know." Reid glared at him with a look that Tyler recognized but had never been on the receiving end of. The saying 'if looks could kill' briefly crossed his mind._

_Tyler closed his eyes again, Reid wasn't making this easy, not that he had expected him to. "Look, they said that you can leave in the morning so I'll come pick you up for graduation?"_

"_No."_

"_But we have to be there by eight—"_

"_I said no, I'll get a ride from someone else. I know this might be hard to believe, Ty. But unlike you, I actually have other friends. Ones who haven't been plotting to kill me." Reid's voice was stiff and angry and the younger of the two felt the need to try and explain again._

"_We weren't—" Tyler sounded desperate, vainly trying to make his Brother understand. He hated fights, he couldn't handle them. _

"_Just go." Hid voice was barley a whisper now. He had fallen back into the pillows, utterly exhausted and deflated. _

"_But Reid—"_

"_I said leave!" He yelled, and with what he was sure was the last of his strength, picked up a box of tissues, the only thing within reach that wasn't attached to the bed, and chucked in the direction of his Brother. "All of you, leave! Go!"_

_Tyler hesitated for a seconded unsure what to do or say then he opened the door, turning to his best friend one last time. With tears clouding his blue eyes, he said the only thing he could think of._

"_I'm sorry, Reid." With that he stepped through the door and shut let behind him._

-

When he woke up Lane was there, as she always, and Tyler was gone. He would forever be gone, Reid had missed every chance to apologize to him, to make it better, and now it was too late, he was dead.

"Are you okay?" Lane's voice was steady and sure as she reached over and pushed some of his shaggy hair from his tearful eyes. Reid Garwin didn't cry, ever. Lane hadn't even been sure he had tear ducts until she saw the reflection of water in the crystal blue eyes she loved so much.

Reid realized they were sitting in Joe, on the side of the darkened Ipswich road. His hands shaking, he reached up and took Lane's thin fingers in his own. When he opened his mouth he realized that his voice too, was shaking. "Please…don't ever leave me."

The words were hopeful and desperate as Reid's watery eyes met Lane's brown ones. The words surprised them both but Lane quickly recovered. She knew him, he didn't mean it the way it sounded. He just didn't want to be alone, because he could never really love her.

"I won't." She then turned and restarted the car before pulling onto the road.

The boss sat back in the worn seat and tried to keep from thinking about the look on Tyler's face when he'd thrown the box. He'd been angry, yes, but more than anything he had felt betrayed and scared. He had wanted nothing more than to never see any of them again. And on one of three counts, he'd gotten his wish.

-

**Review and I will be your very best friend, and if that doesn't appeal to you, I have many other bribes to offer.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm really sorry for the wait, I had the worst writer's block ever but I finally figured it all out. The story finally begins to pick up speed in this chap and a lot of different things happen, you will LOVE it. So this story will probably end around ten chaps and there will not be a sequel. **

**I am however working on a lot of things right now. Including: a Tyler one shot that goes along with this story and either a one shot or a short story about Reid the summer after graduation, also in the same world as this one. **

**Other projects outside of this story are: another one shot or short story that has nothing to do with my other stuff, about the Sons when they were little and a Pogue story. I have another Reid story in my brain that would even have a sequel but I don't know if I will ever post it. I'm going to update my page with all this new stuff, with more info.**

**One more thing: go watch Friday Night Lights, it is an amazing show and has Taylor Kitsch(Pogue Parry) in it as the so sexy Tim Riggins. Don't write it off because its football, I hate football and I love this show. You can watch it on and the new season starts in Jan. 09, or Oct. 1 if you have DIRECTV. **

**Enjoy the chap!**

Chapter 8

The next morning hit him hard. A pounding headache and a horrible taste in his mouth were the first things he noticed, the next was that he was gonna hurl again. When he exited the bathroom, Lane was standing by the door. She asked if he was okay and he nodded before a coughing fit over whelmed his breathing. One hand on the wall, the other on his side. He pressed his face into his shoulder to cover his mouth. When it passed, he fell to his knees, out of breath. Lane helped him back to bed.

Once he was safely under the covers again, Lane went to the bathroom and wet a cloth. She wiped the blood from his mouth and then passed the clean side over his clammy forehead. Reid could feel that she was about to start a lecture. She was biting her bottom lip, which she always did before jumping into her well thought-out speeches.

"Reid, you know I'm only saying this because I worry about you." _Here we go._ He thought "I've noticed lately that your coughing more than usual. This is your second fit in two days, I just…I want you to feel better."

"I'm not having that surgery." He was grumpy and hung over and wanted her to shut up.

"Why not?" She climbed up on the bed next to him. "Why suffer longer than you have to?" Now she was just being melodramatic. He rolled his eyes and flipped over so that he was facing her. He wanted to go back to sleep.

"Because I can't take anymore time off of work." He mumbled as he snuggled down into the cover and secretly moved closer to her. What he had said was a lie and they both knew it but neither of them said anything.

Hours later, while Lane was talking to the credit card company on her phone and Reid was on his business cell arguing with the president of Big Blue was always tried to act like he was Reid's boss, his personal cell rang. Pogue told him that they were all going to Tyler's again to pack everything up for storage.

"Reid, help me lift this." Caleb called to him from the living room. When he entered from the kitchen he saw Caleb standing next to a heavy-looking desk. The two stood on opposite sides to lift the heavy object. When they got to the door they tried to shifted around a bit to make the desk fit through with no luck.

Frustrated and tired, Reid set his end down without warning causing all of the drawers fly open. The only thing inside was a few pieces of paper that looked really official and important. The heading from a popular doctor in Boston glared back at them from the top of every piece.

They both stared at it for a few beats before Caleb bent down to retrieve it. By the look on Caleb's face it couldn't be good news.

When they finally finished it was past sunset. They all sat on the floor around the last thing to go, the coffee table. The power had been turned off earlier so they lit candles to light up the room. Both Reid and Sarah had taken the opportunity to have a cigarette and everyone had a beer in front of them except Kate who, was sitting as close to the open window as she could and still be in the circle. The papers from before sat on the table between the ashtray and a pile of candles. Everyone knew what they said so the discussion was over.

Reid was surprised that Kate wasn't complaining more than she was. She groaned when Pogue brought out the beer and had grumbled quietly when Reid challenged Sarah to blowing smoke rings but had said nothing out loud. Surprisingly, she was sitting on the floor without complaint. Kate was a drama queen who loved to be the center of attention, but then again, maybe she was growing up, maybe they all were.

He looked around the circle of the people, it had taken a few changes over the years, loosing people and adding new ones and it wouldn't be the same as it had been in high school, but that was a good thing in a way, some things had to change.

He knew that he would never admit it out loud or even to himself, but something about that moment, with candle light flickering along the walls and the smell of smoke and friendship floating in the air, he felt his guard go down for the first time in a long time around anyone but Lane.

And he was happy, truly, completely happy. He smirked to himself as he realized that it had taken his best friend taking his life for him to find happiness, but that wasn't it. All it took was forgiving his Brothers for a fight and forgiving himself for bring an ass.

Weather he liked it or not, the people in that room were is family and even though he had went seven years without them, he had been able to fall right back into place, not the exact way as before, but in a new way that fit their new puzzle better. When he'd first gotten there fitting in had seemed like the worst possible thing, but they had been persistent, thank God for that. He took a sip of his beer and took one last puff before discarding his cigarette in the ashtray.

He thought about those papers from the desk and how they were the reason Tyler had done it. He thought about his brother and all the things he wished he could have done differently, but how, in the end, all he really wanted was a chance to say goodbye.

After the beer was gone, they burned the papers, burning away the last evidence of Tyler Simm's diagnosis, forever concealing his secret. And then they carried the coffee table out the door and Caleb looked it. They stood and stared at the door for the last time it would be Tyler's and then they went their separate ways for the night, all of the cars driving by the black Hummer that was parked on the curb, a for sale sign in its window.

The next night the same group encircled a table at Nicky's, sometimes dancing, mostly just talking. The mood was lighter than the night before as they hung out for hours, drinking beer and eating greasy food. Everyone was completely relaxed and totally themselves it was a great night, the best of Reid's for years.

A hard rock beat blared from the jukebox as the beginning of a song filled the bar.

"You love this song." Lane told Reid from her place next to him.

He smirked at her, "Why do you know that?"

"It's my job to know everything about you, even your favorite song." Her own smirk appeared on her lips.

"Oh really so then tell me, what's your favorite song?"

"Mr. Brightside, the Killers." She took a small sip from her beer.

"Really?" She nodded. "Wow, I never took you for a Killers fan, learn something new everyday." He smirked sarcastically.

"I've had it stuck in my head for days, you have no idea what I would give to hear it." He smirked again.

"Well than , it's a good thin I have a quarter." Reid disappeared into the crowd, only to materialize at her shoulder seconds later as the familiar first notes of the song began to play.

"Dance with me." It wasn't a question.

They made it to the dance floor right as the guitar joined in. They danced crazily and off beat, bumping into people who glared at them.

They both laughed as the song carried on dancing in their own way until it got to the chorus, then, as Reid's dancing in public places rules required, they belted out the lyrics at the top of their lungs.

"_Jealousy, turning saints into the sea_

_Swimming through sick lullabies_

_Choking on your alibis_

_But it's just the price I pay_

_Destiny is calling me_

_Open up my eager eyes_

_'Cause I'm Mr. Brightside."_

Reid grabbed her hands to keep her there while they danced as the lyrics repeated themselves. The moment was perfect and he thought about kissing her right then and telling her how he couldn't live without her by his side, but then her looked at her dancing with her eyes closed and knew he couldn't ruin this relationship. He needed her to be there more than he needed her to love him.

With the next morning came an air of sadness and rain clouds. No rain yet, just the clouds taunting them from above. They all wore black clothes and gloomy expressions during the service, there were so many tears as the pastor spoke of Tyler and his "unfortunate decision that no one has a reason for" only six people knew why and they weren't speaking up.

Even Mikey, his hands shaking as he stood at the podium and told how Tyler had been like a big brother to him, didn't know the real truth. Molly sat in the front with Toby asleep in her lap.

The rain began coming down in buckets right as everyone was trying to leave. Pogue and Caleb ran to get their respective cars while the girls waited. Reid captured Kate in a hug, he could feel her tears through the black t-shirt he wore under his blazer. He kissed the top of her head.

"When are you leaving?" She asked with the side of her face pressed against his shirt.

"In a couple hours, I've got to get back tonight to catch up on a few things." Kate nodded and pulled away before hugging Lane.

"It's so good to meet you, we have to stay in touch." She flashed that signature smile of white teeth.

Caleb's silver mustang appeared at he curb and Sarah quickly hugged Reid and Lane. "I've got to go, sorry it's so rushed, we have a meeting with the planner. It's so great to see you again Reid, come back soon. You're always welcome. I'll send you a wedding invitation when we figure it all out again." She turned to her best friend and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "I'll call you later." She told her. As she pulled away Kate caught her arm, a scared expression on her dark face.

"What? What's wrong?" Sarah's eyes went wide as she looked around trying to figure it all out. Kate put her free hand on her bulging stomach.

"I think its time, I think the baby's coming."

They all ended up going to the hospital, cramming themselves into the small waiting area and taking up half of it. Sarah and Caleb were both on their cells, Caleb telling Kate and Pogue's families about the baby and Sarah trying to reschedule the appointment they had set up with their wedding planner. Lane was on her phone too, talking to another credit card company.

The president of the company called Reid again and he got angry a few minutes into the conversation.

"I really don't care what you think. I'm the boss, I'll make the decisions, and I say you wait for me to get back before you make another move, got it?" He must have been talking louder than he thought because he attracted the attention of the entire room. He ended the conversation quickly and as soon as his phone was closed he was on his feet.

"Lets get out of here." He told Lane and the two of them headed for the door.

He took her to his place again and they watched the sunset with the Joe's top down. It was cold and all he could think of was pulling her close. She shivered but they both stayed where they were this time. The stress of the day finally released as Reid chain-smoked the rest of his pack. He rarely smoked that way but today, added with rest of the week required it.

Long after the sun had disappeared behind the trees they still sat there, freezing in silence, waiting for the other to do something. Finally Reid knew he couldn't wait anymore. He found her hand in the darkness, not an unusual thing for him to do, but the feeling of her hand in his sent his heart racing. He was really going to do it, he was going to tell her.

"Lane, I don't really-" He didn't get to finish, because at that exact moment a pair of very soft lips crashed down on his. She pulled away as quickly as she had come, her cheeks flushing red.

"I-I'm so sorry, that was-" He cut her off.

"Exactly what I had in mind." He pulled her lips to his again.

They kissed a few seconds but just as he was really beginning to enjoy it, she extracted herself from his arms.

"This is wrong on so many levels, it's against everything I believe in." She looked at him with her wide eyes and smudged lipstick and he had to have her in his arms again. He scooted over and wrapped his long arms around her small frame, burying his face in her hair. She must have used a citrus-scented shampoo because her curly brown locks smelled like orange blossoms.

He kissed her forehead, "So you don't believe in love then?"

"No," She wiggled in his embrace, feeling uncomfortable. "I just don't think its right for me to make out with my boss in his car."

"Well then don't think of me as your boss, think of me as the guy that has loved you since you saved his life and his career three years ago." His voice was different than she'd ever heard it, it was soft and sincere.

"Only if I get to be the girl who fell madly, obsessively in love with you the second she laid eyes you." She smiled and he returned it. It was her favorite smile of his but she didn't get to see very often, one of pure joy.

"Deal." He moved toward her mouth again, only to stop millimeters from her lips. "Wait, obsessive?"

She nodded." Yep, like a screaming fan girl." He seemed almost impressed.

"Wow, that hot." She shook her head and grabbed his neck, pulling his mouth down to meet hers.

**Cute, right? Leave a review, let me know what you think! The 'Mr. Brightside' stuff might seem pointless right now, but it will come up again later and you have to admit, it was cute!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This is the last chapter other than the epilogue, which will be up soon. Thank you to all of you for your reviews, I love than more than you could ever know. Invincible will be updated soon, go check it out. Enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Covenant nor so I claim to in any way. I do own Lane, no stealing.**

Chapter 9

The next morning as they were packing up the car, Reid grabbed Lane by her arms and kissed her long and hard. She pulled away, smiling.

"What was that for?" She laced her fingers through his. After kissing in Joe for a while they had come back to the room, both tired from the long day. She had thought the morning would be awkward, but so far he had been sweet and adorable.

"Cause I love ya." He said, in a Southern drawl that seemed strange from him, but still adorable. He leaned his head against the wall in the cute way he had. They were standing in the hallway of the hotel, a little ways down from their room.

"I love you too, always have." She stood on her tip toes and lightly brushed her lips against his.

"You do?" He questioned. She nodded. "Then come to Vegas with me." He grinned in way that made him look perfectly sane though his words proved otherwise.

"Vegas? As in Las Vegas? Since when are we going there?"

"Since now, come with me, marry me." She looked at him, trying to figure out the joke in this.

"You're serious? We've been dating for about 12 hours and you want me to marry you?"

"Yes, I love you more than anything. I want you to always be there, no matter what. So for once in your way too well planed life, do something crazy. Marry me."

She stood in his arms for a while, trying to figure out how she had gotten here, not a lawyer, but an assistant about to marry her boss. A thousand images passed through her brain. Images of the life she never lived, the one she gave up on the minute she looked into his clear blue eyes. For a moment she wondered if she made the wrong choice. But then she looked at him again and all her doubts vanished.

"Okay, I'm in." At her words he picked her up and twirled her around before setting her back and the ground and kissing her until she was lightheaded and didn't know her own name.

-

At the airport in Boston, Reid stood in line to buy the tickets while Lane sat with the bags. This was the way it was supposed to be, not the assistant doing his bidding while he went to grab a smoke, even though he _really_ needed one, but the guy buying tickets for he and his girlfriend, no, fiancé . He jumped slightly as his phone buzzed in his pocket. It was his accountant, Lane dealt with him, he had never spoken to the guy. He sent the call to voicemail and stepped up to the desk for his turn.

He handed the person his credit card and turned back to look at Lane, checking up on her. As soon as she had told him yes, he had begun feeling overly protective. She wiggled her fingers at him in a cute wave, her eyes twinkling from the smile on her face.

"Sir, your card was denied." The woman said from behind the desk. He gave her a different card, unfazed. Sometimes he used one card too much or Lane ran late on bills, they had been gone for almost a week now.

"This one too." He changed cards again, something felt off. He could feel people's eyes boring into him, not in that 'that guy looks familiar way' he was used to but a different way, this one made him feel guilty and he hadn't even done anything.

"Sir, the computer is denying this one too. Would you mind stepping to the side, you're holding up the line."

He did as he was told, walking back to Lane with his head down to avoid getting any new stares from people he didn't know. It was then he saw the televisions. They were everywhere, hanging from the ceiling, all on the same news channel with the same story on each one.

'_Big Blue' Goes Bankrupt-Where Did All The Money Go?_

That's what he wanted to know. He turned back to Lane, she was watching the clip they played over and over again of the two of them walking from his building to the awaiting car, fighting through flashing cameras and a million microphones. It was from a few months ago when a major competitor had shown a threat to Big Blue's success, the company had eventually lost to them and closed down but the press had hounded Reid and the board of directors.

The news anchor appeared on the screens and Reid moved closer so that he could hear better. "…President of the company has released a statement to the press." The screen switched to the familiar man who had finally succeeded in making him lose his money, not that Reid had any proof of that, he just really hated the guy and like to blame things on him.

"_Even though all of our stores are generating double the amount of money from last season, there seems to be none left. We believe this company has been scammed and the money filtered elsewhere. We also believe that Reid Garwin, CEO and founder, is the culprit in all of this, he has recently disappeared from the office and refuses to take our calls. _

"_Mr. Garwin was diagnosed with a severe anxiety disorder years ago, our only assumption to his reasons behind doing such a thing, is that the responsibility and work amount became too much and he ran, taking a great percentage of the company's national earnings with him. This percentage is so great that Big Blue Oceanic Company has filed bankruptcy and will begin closing its stores within the week. Thank you." _

Reid stood frozen in the middle of the airport, staring at the television closest to him without seeing it. They had moved on to another story like it was any other day, like the world hadn't just capsized in on itself and exploded. He felt a familiar panic rise in his chest and bolted for the closest exit.

Outside, he fell onto a bench and put his head in his hands. A few seconds later he was fumbling for a cigarette and his lighter, feeling more stressed than he ever thought possible. They were going to blame _him_ for this? There was no way…he didn't have any money…they had scammed him and taken the money? Then where was the money then? Did they still have it? The company was closing, were they going to disappear? Did they really believe he had taken it and ran?

The questions circled in his head as he took long drags from his cigarette and held the smoke until it burned in his lungs. It didn't matter who had the money or what had happened to it, one thing was important he didn't have it anymore, Big Blue didn't have it anymore. He had no income, no way to keep his apartment, no way to take Lane to Vegas….Wait Lane? No, no, no, no. It couldn't be her, it couldn't. She wouldn't do that to him, would she? Is that why she had stuck by him for so long, insisted on being in charge of everything, especially the financial stuff? Is that why she acted like she loved him now? To distract him from the truth?

By the time Lane appeared outside, her eyes red and puffy, he had finished his inner battle and all signs pointed to the one person he truly loved. She had done it, he was sure. The board might have been in on it too, but she was the one who had betrayed him. She had taken his money.

"So, I'm pretty much broke now, right?" After spotting her he looked at the ground between his feet and took another drag from the cancer stick between his fingers.

"Yeah, I guess so." She stuck her hands in her pockets and scuffed her feet against the cement. "I'm really sorry Reid."

"No, you're sorry you got caught." His voice was monotone.

"What are you taking about? You think I had Something to do with this? How could you even consider that? I love you, I would never do anything to hurt you." Tears clouded in her eyes and she looked at him, completely shocked.

He saw none of it and her words meant nothing. He stood up and looked at her with dead eyes. The calmness of his smooth voice was worse than if he's been yelling. "Obviously you can accept this as your dismissal, don't expect a last pay check since I don't have any money. In fact you have my money, so you can just pay yourself."

She didn't want to become defensive, he was just upset, but he was accusing her of something she didn't do, it was hard to not stand up for herself. "Reid, don't do this, okay? Just listen, I would never do that, I would never let it happen if it was in my control. I had no idea anything was wrong until was too late. I probably should have told you as soon as I knew there was a problem but with all everything you were going through I didn't want to heap more stress on you."

"Don't give me that bullshit. You know that I would want you to tell me if there was a problem with my company. You did not tell me that I had a money problem because you were the money problem Lane. You did this and you think you're gonna get away with it, just dump all the blame on me and walk away with millions." He was yelling now, the emotionless drone had been broken and she had been wrong. The yelling was just as bad, if not worse, than the monotone.

"Well your right," His voice was slightly choke now, quiet. "I'm not going to do anything, I don't know if I can do anything. You and whoever else is in on this are going to get away with it, get away with all my money and I'm going to take the blame. I'm going to pack up and disappear and start over. I've done it before, it's not as hard to erase yourself from the face of the planet as you might think.

"So you and all your little accomplices go and buy a yacht or whatever and I'll just be here with your perfect plan and my broken heart. Was that your plan all along, Lane? To make me love you, trust you, and then take it from me? Or was getting involved an accident? You either really messed up your plan and fell for me or you deserve an academy award for your acting. I didn't know it was possible to fake emotion like that."

"It wasn't fake." He voice trembled and she realized that she had tears on her cheeks.

"Oh, you're gonna cry now? More acting or begging for forgiveness? Which is it? Don't lie to me Lane. The joke is over, the secret is out. Lying only makes you look really stupid. If you can't admit what you did than whatever, but don't lie to my face. I trusted you, I trusted you with everything. Told you everything, I guess that makes me the stupid one, huh?"

He turned from her and walked away but she couldn't let him go, couldn't let him think that of her. "Reid, wait!"

He stopped and spun around to face her. "What do you want now? I don't have anything left to give you, you've taken my money, my job, my life, everything. What more could you possibly want?" She didn't have an answer this time, she just let him go.

-

The next weeks passed and Reid barley left his apartment. The news continued to tell the story over and over again but there was no new development. The press waited outside his building at all hours of the day, waiting for him to come out.

He spent the time packing and researching London, his next destination. He's found an old bank account from years ago when he's been using an alias so no one from Ipswich could find him. It had enough money in it to get him started at his new life, again.

One Monday three weeks after leaving Ipswich for the second time, a knock on the door rang through his box filled apartment. He left the chain on the door and opened it quickly. His automatic answer of 'no comment' was waiting on his tongue when he saw the person on the other side was Sarah. He closed the door, undid the chain and reopened it without a word to the other blonde. He held the door open and motioned for her to come in.

"Want something to drink?" He asked her as he passed her on his way to the kitchen. His voice was ruff and h wondered how long it had been since he'd actually spoken to anyone aloud. He opened the refrigerator. "I have beer and water, some more beer. That's it."

"I'm good, thanks. This place is huge."

"Yeah, I'm getting some money for it. I bought it from the owner of the building awhile back cause I was tired of paying rent and there was a wall in one of the bedrooms that was blue instead of white so I wanted to have it painted. Anyway, now I get to sell it to the next almost big shot that thinks he's something." He grabbed a beer for himself and sipped on it slowly.

"Where will you go?" she sat on a stool that was tucked under the counter and folded her hands under her chin and rested her elbows on the countertop. The apartment was all white and overly sterile, barley looking lived in. She looked back at Reid with his drawn face and dead eyes, maybe he really was as crazy as the news said.

Reid sighed, she was here on a mission, to keep him from disappearing again, probably sent by Caleb who probably wasn't comfortable enough with him yet to come himself.

"What are you doing here Sarah?" He put down his beer and went back to wrapping plates in newspaper.

"I'm just checking on you, I know this must be tough. Its not like Ipswich is its own planet, I watch the news too."

"I don't." He put a stack of plates in a box and taped the now-full box closed. Pulling a marker from his pocket, he wrote _sell_ across the side in big, block letters.

"You don't have the money." It wasn't a question.

"If I did, I would have left by now and I wouldn't be selling everything I own." He didn't look at her, but took the box and put it with a stack of identical boxes, all marked to be sold.

"Can I help?" She stood and came to stand next to him so he could tell her what to do.

"Uh, yeah. I guess you could…clear off that desk." He pointed to the cluttered desk in the corner. "Just throw everything away." He went back to the kitchen and continued to wrap glasses in newspaper, tucking each one into a box carefully.

Sarah found a garbage bag and began dumping piles of envelopes and paper in to it. Such a waste of recyclables. Another knock came at the door before it opened. A young Hispanic woman appeared in the doorway.

"Hi, sorry to bother you. I'm here for my last paycheck." She spoke with a thick Mexican accent.

"Oh, hey Isabella, yeah, I got your check. One second." He sped over to where Sarah stood and dug through the pile that was left on the desk. "Shit." He mumbled and grabbed the bag from Sarah, flipping it upside down. One envelope escaped from the pack and slid against Sarah's foot, she picked it up.

Reid spread the pile around on the floor until he found what he was looking for and handed the envelope to Isabella. "Thank you, for everything."

Sarah smiled, she could see how he had done well in the business of sales, he was just so likeable.

"Well it isn't often someone asks me to bleach their entire house." She motioned to the expansive space around them.

"And you did beautifully. You gave me the clean slate I needed and continued to keep it clean all this time."

"Thank you Reid. You're a good boy, you'll land on your feet." She patted his cheek and handed him her key and left.

He turned around to face Sarah again. "Sorry, I forgot she was coming by." He stopped short as Sarah held the note out to him.

"You never opened it?" Her voice was an octave higher than it should have been.

"How did you know what it was?" he moved forward and took it from her shaking hand.

"Cause I got one just like it." She bit her lip. She. Would. Not. Cry.

"Is it pretty bad?" He flipped the thick paper around in his hands.

She gave him a sad smile. "Yeah, I cried for about an hour straight and then every so often I'll think about it and…" She trailed off and held up her hands as tears began to fall down her face. There were those tears again. He turned away from her and sat down on a couch that was partially hidden by boxes. His fingers shook as he tore the card open.

_Reid,_

_The odds of you ever reading this are slim and I know that, but here are some things that can't be left unsaid any longer. I have missed you every day for the past seven years, you are my brother and I still can't believe I ever let any of this happen._

_My choice, no matter how stupid you may think it is, is one that has made me a much happier person. Knowing the end is near has filled me with a hope that the after life maybe be at least somewhat better than the life I know now._

_I hope you can forgive me, not only for choosing to end my life, but also for our old discrepancies. I wish we wouldn't have ended things on such a sour note so long ago, I am sorry for all that has happened._

—_Tyler _

"It's just so….robotic, and not him at all." He didn't realize he'd said anything until his voice broke.

"The worst part, is that it was him at the end. I truly think I hated him this last year. Everything that could be slightly a 'Tyler' thing he quit doing. He became this complete other person and he was such a jerk. I honestly don't blame Molly for leaving him, I really don't. At first I thought it was the thing that had pushed him over the edge, but, it wasn't." She was curled up on the other end of the couch, her tears now gone.

"Untreatable cancer." His hands were still shaking

"A Son of Ipswich killing himself because he was dying of natural causes."

"Thinking about that for too long will hurt your brain….God that is the Power's one weakness, you can't heal anything. I couldn't even save a plant from wilting."

"Is that why you have no plants?" he nodded. "Well you could have someone water your plants. Like Lane, for example."

"So that's why you're."

"No, I'm here because I've got a girl that should be here helping you pack camping out in my apartment crying for eyes out. I really like this chick Reid, I really do, but if I hear her say 'I love him and he thinks I would lie to him' one more time I am going to kill her. I don't care what you do or how you do it. Get her back pronto or I might have to put her out on the street."

"I can't. I said some really bad stuff to her. I thought that she had taken the money and I was upset and mad and now…I sure wouldn't take me back after what I said."

"But she will." Sarah scooted closer in the couch. "She knows that you didn't mean it or whatever. She feels guilty for making you think that. God Reid, she's blaming herself for all of this, don't you get it, she loves you more than you could know."

"No, I think I do know." A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"So you'll go win her back?" Sarah's usual smile covered her face.

Reid turned his head to look at her. "Only if you help me."

-

Why so many significant event in Reid Garwin's life all took place at the dinky hole in the wall that was Nicky's had always surprised him. He'd had his life ruined there and now he was there to win it back.

Sarah had convince Lane that a night out would do her good, but sitting at the bar with a guy who could do nothing but talk about his ex-girlfriend was not making her feel any better, but her second margarita was helping.

Then the song changed and her date groaned. "I hate this song."

"Really? It's one of my favorites."

"I know." The voice did not belong t the person beside her. She turned and came face to face with her former boss.

"Hey."

"Hey."

They stared at each other for a few beats before he stepped forward, glancing around at the couples slow dancing around him.

"You should let me take this one off your hands, she's a handful." He told the man on the stool next to her, she blushed. The man stammered to find words but they were both already gone and she was already in his arms.

"I've missed you." He whispered into her hair as they shifted from foot to foot on the dance floor. Neither of them were big on slow dancing and the close proximity of their bodies made any movement difficult.

"How'd you know I was lying about my favorite song?" She asked him as she moved her head closer to his neck.

"All I had to do was stop thinking about myself for ne second and realize that I was the Killers fan and that you hated them. Why'd you tell me that?"

"You love that song and I knew you would like dancing to it so I was trying to make you happy."

"Let me make you happy for once. Anything you want, as long as it's not too expensive."

"Anything?" She looked up at him, he nodded. "Get the surgery."

"That's it?" It was her turn to nod. "And you'll move to Ipswich with me permanently?"

"Your moving back to Ipswich? Since when?"

"Since I decided that I don't feel like starting over when what I have is so great. I lost everything once, I'm not going to do it again." And then she kissed him.

-

"Alright Mr. Garwin, I'll be back in about five minutes and we'll take you to pre-op." The nurse left and Reid turned to Lane. Her hand was in his, her third finger adorned by an engagement ring. It was cheap and plain but on her hand it was gorgeous, just like her.

"Will you be here when wake up?" he asked, a playful grin on his face.

"Forever."


	10. Epilogue

**A/N: This is the epilogue, its shorter than the chapters but it wraps everything up nicely. In the next few days I will update this again with a thank you to each person who reviewed/favorite/alerted this story. Also on that post will be my inspirations for this story and possibly a mini soundtrack. Enjoy the final chapter of Takes a Tragedy!**

**The last disclaimer: I do not own the Covenant or any of the characters.**

-

Epilogue

One Year Later

In the end Sarah and Caleb scraped the big white wedding in the garden and went for a smaller, more private gathering on the beach. Reid stood with his brothers in the tent and Caleb paced nervously.

"Relax man, its not that big a deal." Pogue was saying to Caleb. "You go over there, say a few words, turn around come back and we go party." Everything was that simple with Pogue, nothing fazed him. Caleb opened his mouth and countered the younger man's words and the basic-ness of the situation. It was overly obvious that he was driving himself crazy with worry so Pogue let him talk, he was more than used to Caleb and his speeches.

Reid slipped through the door of the tent to find Lane peering back at him from outside the girl's tent, she met him halfway. They had opted for Vegas instead of a real wedding shortly after Reid's operation. They were far from rich but they got by alright. He was working at Spenser as the swim coach and taught swimming lessons in the summer.

She'd gone back to school, still after that law degree and worked as a waitress the rest of the time. Reid was working out, the dream of swimming professionally back within his reach. No baby so far, but they hadn't given up hope yet, they were both still looking forward to the next little Garwin.

Six months before, the Big Blue scandal had been settled. It turned out that the board of directors had been funneling the money into a secret account from the beginning and had planned to keep doing that for a long time, but thanks to a computing error on the president's part, they had taken too much for it to seem normal. Reid and Lane hadn't gotten any money back, taxes and the IRS took care of that, but they were doing fine on their own.

"Only about five minutes left." She told him with a smile. "Sarah looks gorgeous and if I do say so myself, you are just plain sexy." She grabbed his lapels and tugged at them playfully.

"Ooh, why thank you. And you my dear are a vision," he twirled her around, admiring the strapless, backless bridesmaid dress. He pulled her close and pressed his hands against her lower back, bending his head down t her ear. "But I must say that I might have to rip that dress apart in a few hours." He smirked and she giggled.

"Oh, but I like this dress, and the best part is I can shorten it and wear it again." She quoted form one of her favorite movies. In truth, the dress wasn't bad at all, Sarah had good taste.

Kate materialized at Lane's shoulder, Zach on her hip. "Come on we have to go line up."

"Who's holding the kid?" Reid asked as he tickled the one-year-old, who in his young baby talk referred to him as 'Weed' since he didn't have all the sounds down yet and R's were tricky.

"I am." Melanie, the wedding planner and Kate's older sister, came up behind them and took her nephew from her sister's arms. "Off with you Reid, back to your tent." She shooed him with a flick of her hand. Sarah had _begged_ him to listen to her, she was in charge. Reid had obliged but had his share of complaints, he was glad it was almost over, he hated weddings.

"Yes ma'am." He answered sarcastically but, after kissing his wife, turned around and did what she said.

Caleb had let Sarah make all the decisions, from location to cake to music, it was all her, he only asked for one thing. They all stood at the front of the aisle and watched the happy couple exchange vows while a candle burned behind Reid. _Tyler Sims _it read in and elegant script. It was where he would have stood, if he had been there. Reid looked at the small crowd of people and saw Molly, Toby in her lap, a familiar head of brown hair growing in.

After the 'I do' but before the kiss a wind blew from the opposite direction it had been coming and the candle went out.

-

Lane pulled him away from the reception early and they went to their place. They hadn't come there in a while but it was the same as always. They sat on the hood and watched the setting sun paint the town gold. They were tangled in each other's arms, neither of them quite sure of who's hands were where.

"Reid?" He was playing with her hair, twirling it around one of his fingers. "Guess what."

"What?" he let her hair drop and leaned over her, his lips almost touching hers.

"You're going to be a daddy." She said it plainly, as if mentioning a cold front was blowing through.

"A dad? A-as in you're pregnant? Like gonna have a baby pregnant?" He wasn't sure if he was ready for this. He was ready to have a kid, but to really _be_ a dad? Would he ever be ready for that?

"Yep." Her careless tone stayed.

"As in we're going to have a kid to take care of? Another me to take care of? Don't you kinda have a lot going on taking care of me and my needs and demands?" He was half sarcastic, half worried.

She laughed at his antics. "No, _we_ are going to have the next heir in the Garwin line and he is going to take the world by storm and make us both exceedingly proud of him."

"You bet he is." He pulled her close and kissed her soft lips.

-

His hands shook as he reached up to knock on the large double doors. The door opened revealing the house's owner.

"Hey dad." His voice matched his hands. _Eight years and we haven't spoken once_. This was the moment of truth, would his father still hate him after all that time? Joseph Garwin glared at Reid, not moving from the doorway to let him in.

"I thought you might want to see this." He held out a photo from the ultrasound they'd had the day before. It was hard to think that in just three short months their baby would be here, time had gone so fast.

Sarah had announced the week before that she was expecting, finishing the next generation of ass-kicking Sons of Ipswich. Toby Sims, Zachary Parry, Jonathan Garwin, and William Danvers the fourth, almost the opposite order of their fathers' generation.

His father took the photo from him and studied it. "Your son?" He asked and Reid nodded. Reid saw his father smile for the first time in years. He clapped a hand on his son's shoulder. "Come in my boy."

-

For once, Reid knew everything was going to be alright. He was mending old wounds and creating new bonds. He and Kate's friendship had bloomed again, taking on a new life but the same feel it had had so many years ago. He had fallen back in with Caleb and Pogue, they even crashed some Spenser parties every once and again.

He got out of Joe, who was still loyally running strong, despite its damaged exterior. The walk to the headstone was short, and soon Tyler's ancestor's graves surrounded him. He found this best friend's and put the flowers he had brought on the ground.

"Hey buddy." His hands sunk low in his pockets as he rocked back and forth on his feet and tears glistened in his eyes.

This was it, the last piece of the puzzle, but the most important one. This is what had haunted him at night, the never-ending battle between himself to fix this friendship. The wind changed, the way it had during the wedding. It ruffled his hair as he remembered doing to Baby Boy millions of times as they were growing up.

He felt himself smile, this was where he was meant to be. He didn't mean that literary, not in the cemetery, but in Ipswich. Where his son would grow up with his brothers, linked not by blood but by a magic that overpowered all else, the way he had and they way all the Garwin line had dating back as far as the 1600's.

Tyler's choice, his reasons, still haunted him sometimes. He knew why, he just didn't know what had led his best friend to that point. The entire ordeal had been horrible and most plainly, tragic. But it had led him back here, to the place where, above all else, he belonged. Reid Garwin, not the same boy he left as, but a more mature version how he used to be, had finally found himself. He was finally home.

THE END

-

**A/N: Okay, that's it people, it's really over. Leave me a review!**


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